Gurney Drive

Located approximately 24 kilometres away from Lexis Suites Penang by car, Gurney Drive is one of the most popular destinations within George Town, Penang among tourist and locals alike. Also known as Persiaran Gurney or formerly known as ‘New Coast Road’, Gurney Drive Penang is famous for its hawker delights and exciting restaurants that come alive at night time. Gurney Drive came about in 1936 and it was named after Sir Henry Gurney, a British High Commissioner in Malaya who was assassinated by the guerrillas of the Malayan Communist Party during the Malayan Emergency in the 1950s.

Back in those days, Gurney Drive was a sandy beach where people could collect seashells and the sea water was clean and pollution free, allowing people to swim in the sea and fishermen would return to the beaches with their catches of the day. In fact, the sea was so clean that it became a venue for dragon boat races during the 1960s to 1980s. 

As the years goes by, the economy in Gurney Drive was booming with constructions of high-rises and shopping malls such as Gurney Plaza and Gurney Paragon Mall, leading Gurney Drive to being proposed as the second central business district of George Town. In addition to these, many tourists flocked to Gurney Drive to visit the available attractions such as Dharmikarama Burmese Temple, Church of Immaculate Conception, Chooi Bee Keong Temple, Wat Chaiya Mangkalaram Temple, World War 2 Relics at Tanjong Tokong, Tua Pek Kong Temple and many more. 

One can find the largest and most well-known eatery in Penang located at the northern end of Gurney Drive, popularly known as Gurney Drive Hawker Centre or Gurney Drive Night Market. Locals would usually identify Gurney Drive as a food paradise and no one should ever leave Gurney Drive without sampling at least one of the popular dishes available here. 

Food has always been one of the main reasons why visitors would visit Gurney Drive as they get to enjoy cheaply-priced good food while listening to the sound of the crashing waves. Food tasting at Gurney Drive is also one of the ways to learn more about the locals, the culture and the history surrounding them. Most of the famous local food are available at the hawker centre and it also has a halal and non-halal section for the convenience of its patrons.

To be a part of the vibrant Gurney Drive! Book your stay at Lexis Suites Penang so that you can explore Gurney Drive for yourself! Don’t forget to try the mouth-watering Char Kway Teow (Wok fried flat rice noodles with bean sprouts, cockles and prawns), visit the Dharmikarama Burmese Temple (the only Burmese temple that exist outside of Myanmar) or any of the other places that intrigue you.

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